Rittenhouse Square

Rittenhouse Square is a neighborhood in central Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1683 as "Southwest Square", but it was renamed in 1825 to honor the Rittenhouse family, descendants of a German immigrant who became the first paper-maker in the city. Rittenhouse Square became a highly desirable address as the city grew steadily from the Delaware River to the Schuylkill River, and, from 1876 to 1929, it was home to several wealthy families. During the mid-20th century, gays, lesbians, and hippies moved into the neighborhood, seeing the park as a safety zone for camaraderie and using the park as a place to have intercourse; this led to conflicts between the homosexual and heterosexual communities. Today, it is among the highest-income neighborhoods of the country.